Marketing Insanity - A True Case

It’s worth your time to take a look at the section on “Marketing Insanity” on page 17 of the Success In 10 Steps ebook by Michael Dlouhy. I was talking with a husband-and-wife on a 3-way call the other day. They’re in a company selling water filters. Their basic product is a $4,000 sale.

And they tell me, “But you can buy it over time!”

Boy! Hope springs eternal in network marketers, doesn’t it? They KNOW they can make this thing work. “Heck, they can buy it over time. This’ll work.”

So here’s the deal, which is what I told them:

“FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS?!!!!!!!”

Are you kidding me? You HAVE to be a salesperson. You HAVE to be a salesperson to do that. A $4,000 product is a sales business. They can call it network marketing if they want, but let me ask you a question:

Does your new rep go on autoship for $4,000 a month?

I didn’t think so.

Here’s what I told them:

“Success In 10 Steps is a great tool, but it won’t work for you. You can’t use this ebook to find people who’ll spend $4K. Our system is perfect to build a relationship business, but that’s not what you have … you have a SALES business. You need to run ads to find salespeople.”

Again, it’s a $4,000 product. And THEY bought it, because it’s something they really believe in and they wanted. But they are the exception. You need REALLY targeted leads to sell that product. You sure as heck aren’t going to buy MLM leads and sell any $4,000 water filters. There’s no way you can recruit those people, because they won’t buy the product.

There was a time when it was pretty standard in MLM to advertise for salespeople, but not so much anymore. Traditionally, salespeople haven’t done that well in network marketing, for a lot of reasons. Most of all, salespeople can’t train anyone to do what they do, and so what they do is not duplicatable.

What you want in network marketing is a lot of people, with each one doing a little bit. That is the model that works. You can build a big business with that model.

The standard for MLM has always been lotions and potions and vitamins. Outstanding nutritionals & personal care products that get raved about and used up and bought over and over. That is the type of product that creates residual income.

And I would go so far as to say that any product that doesn’t create residual income - people on autoship who buy automatically every month - is NOT an MLM product.

Feel free to argue if you want. But the #1 reason for doing MLM is to create an income that goes on whether you are working or not. And that ONLY happens with people on autoship.

It’s simple. No autoship = No network marketing.

That water filter customer never goes on autoship. So not only is there NO residual income, but you also must be a pretty good salesperson to sell a $4,000 product.

I’m not a salesperson. I cannot do it. Almost everybody out there cannot do it. Can you work and work and work and find someone who can?

Sure. That business has been going for awhile. Here and there, they find a salesperson. But man, what a tough way to build a business.

So it’s really helpful to know where this stuff is in the ebook because when that topic comes up - and it will - you need to be able to direct people to the source that explains their situation. That’s way better than you trying to do it yourself.

That is what I think.

Richard Dennis

PS - I would LOVE to hear your comments on this one …

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Generating MLM Leads - Advertising Your MLM E-book

The most frequent question I get about using the “Success In 10 Steps” ebook to generate leads:

“What methods do you recommend to people to advertise their ebook page?”

My friends Don Standard & Penny Dude do a 1-hour training on some unique way to advertise your ebook each week. And we’ve got over a year’s worth of these calls archived online. These trainings are priceless and … they’re free. So when I’m talking with someone, I mention these trainings. My job is just to point. Pretty uncomplicated.

You have the opportunity to listen to people who have been generating leads using the STS ebook describe exactly which online (or sometimes offline) resources they use and how they use them most effectively. You can find a ton of really good & useful information in those calls.

(And I’ll come clean here - these resources can be used for any type of advertising, not just the Success In 10 Steps ebook.)

Again, this is something ANYBODY can do. You can give people enormously valuable information without knowing anything yourself. All you need to do is point to this website & tell them to go through the archives and listen to our Thursday afternoon recorded calls.

I tell them to listen to 4 or 5 or 10 calls and to choose ONE thing that sounds good to them and that they feel comfortable doing. Well … two at the most. Better to concentrate on one to start, but you might test one against another, if you find two you really like.

And I tell them to talk with me after they’ve chosen one of these resources, and we’ll plan exactly how to use it. And if you tell your prospect that, but you don’t know the resources yourself, you can certainly put them on the line with me when they’re ready to start.

It’s critical that you NOT position yourself as the expert who knows everything. Our audio archives are a wonderful resource, and you just point them to that resource. And your new rep realizes that as they bring people into the business, they can also point people to the same resource. They don’t need to know anything.

What could be simpler? Truly, anyone can do that. It makes your business very duplicatable.

(If you would like the web address for this resource, email me: rtdennisfl AT gmail.com)

Richard
Big MLM Lies

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Michael Dlouhy and ‘Voodoo MLM Economics’

You’ll find “Voodoo MLM Economics” on page 15 of “Success In 10 Steps” by Michael Dlouhy. This one is one of my favorite sections.

A few weeks ago, I was talking on the phone with one of my prospects who had downloaded the ebook. Prospects fall into one of two groups:

1. Already in a business & trying to figure out how to make it profitable.
2. Looking for a business to make profitable.

This lady was in group #1. And since I was on the line with her, she decided to reverse-recruit me. So she told me about her incredible company and their 98% retention rate.

Nobody ever left that company. Everybody stayed. Fascinating.

OK. You could give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was new and was just repeating what she had been told by her sponsor. But she was also telling me how wonderfully successful she was, too, so she probably doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.

We know that in MLM, like any other business, most people aren’t going to make it. Most people are going to leave. Most people are going to quit before they are successful. Most people don’t commit themselves. Most people don’t value spending time training themselves. Most people won’t put in the time necessary to actually work their business.

It all boils down to the “C” word: most people just won’t make the commitment.

And so it enhances your position when you are talking with a prospect that you flat out tell them all this.

“Jack, what I know from my experience is, most of the people I talk to will not make any real commitment to this business. Most of them will quit. Most of them will find a reason not to do it.”

And of course, I always add in there, “We’ve been using the STS ebook for over 4 years now. And the reason we like this ‘Success In 10 Steps’ lead generation system so much is, we talk to so many people who have been beat up in this business. And yet, so many of them are people who just will NEVER quit. They’re determined to keep going forever. They are determined to make it work.”

I can’t tell you how many times I say that to one of my ebook download prospects and they say, “Yeah. That’s me.” It’s like that company’s retention rate … it’s over 90%.

Well … it’s probably 80%, anyway. They say, “Yeah, that’s me. I’ll never quit. I’ll never stop doing this. I’ll never give up. I’m going to get it right. I’m going to figure it out or die trying.” That is the type of person who read this ebook.

And you increase your own credibility and their trust in you when you tell them that you know most people will quit. At the same time, you give them personally a way out of that group, because most people who come in through the STS ebook are warriors. They are just never going to quit.

So it’s very worthwhile for you to point out page 15 of the ebook to your prospects and let them know that most people quit. If this was an easy business, everybody would do it.

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Truths

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In MLM, The Marketing Will Build Your Empire

On page 14 of “Success In 10 Steps” by Michael Dlouhy, you can read about “the monk in the white lab coat.” I don’t think it’s just the people I’ve talked to recently. I can definitely remember when I used to think this way.

There are just a LOT of people who believe that far and away THE #1 reason to choose a network marketing company is the product. And even after talking with them a bit, it is a very tough idea to dislodge.

MLM companies must have a great product to compete in today’s market. But it is effective marketing, not a product, that will either build an empire or not. Specifically, you should be searching for a group with an effective, results-producing marketing program in place. So it’s important to give prospects as much evidence as you possibly can that product focus is not what will build them a great income from home.

To have any hope for building a successful MLM business, they have to get this concept. If all they want is a great product, that’s fine. If they don’t care about the money, no problem. They can do whatever the heck they want to do.

But most people … and certainly most of the people your prospect will be talking to about the business … are looking to make money at it. And if you ask even this product-focused prospect, you can pretty much be 100% sure they’ll say, “Well, yeah - I want the money!”

And to do that, you’ve got to have those other 4 Pillars in place - not just the product. So page 14 is a very good place to point your prospect to, to make that point and get them headed in the right direction.

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Lies

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The Questions Your Prospects Ask

It is key to make your network marketing business as duplicatable as possible. And the less you have to talk, the more duplicatable it gets. The ability to use the Success In 10 Steps ebook and just point to sections that answer certain questions or to sections that would be valuable to people makes your life a lot simpler.

The format of the ebook has been very successful. It’s had over 107,000 downloads in the past 4 years. A lot of people have used STS to generate leads and build an MLM business. It is set up to make it easy for people to do network marketing. You don’t have to be an expert at anything. You hardly even need to be able to answer any questions.

We know the 3 questions people most ask when they’re looking for a business:

1. Is this something I can do?
2. Can I make money at it?
3. Can you help me?

For them to answer question #1 positively, the business has to be really simple. And it’s important to show them that it’s going to be simple for them to give this system to the people they bring into the business.

They may not be thinking that far ahead. But as soon as you point out to them that they have to be able to give THEIR prospects a simple system or their business will not duplicate, they know that is true.

On page 10 of STS, Michael Dlouhy talks about the 100 MLM companies that he joined. It’s a good story that can answer several different questions.

Most of the people who download the STS ebook are people who have already been in network marketing, but who have struggled with the business. They’re looking for answers. They don’t know why they haven’t been successful. They know it’s not because somebody else is smarter than they are. They are frustrated.

So Michael joining 100 different MLM businesses to kind of get an idea of how the whole thing works resonates with them. It makes sense to do that. And it helps give your prospect some background that helps them see all the value they can possibly get from reading this ebook.

Page 10 is definitely one of the sections I would point out to prospects. Again, when you only need to point someone to a page in the book to answer their questions and gain credibility, it becomes obvious that this is a very easy business to do.

Richard Dennis
Success In 10 Steps

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How About Some WD-40 On Your Steak?

Has anybody ever fooled you with a novelty T-bone steak? It looks exactly like the real deal. You’re ready to dig in. But something here isn’t exactly right …

Oh, yeah - it’s plastic.

It seems like a lot of people use that plastic steak as a model for the relationships they build in order to sell their products. They are looking at this very short-term. They think what’s important is the immediate sale.

But the fact is, what’s important is the long-term relationship. What will help you achieve your dreams is building strong relationships with people who have similar dreams. Plastic relationships will not do that.

The “Success In 10 Steps” ebook gets right to the heart of living, breathing relationships. It’s a tool you can use to help people be successful, where before they only experienced failure. That change of direction will mean the world to them, and that is why this ebook is such a powerful tool in building your network marketing business.

I appreciate you!

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Truths

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The Story Behind The Cover of “Success In 10 Steps”

When we were putting the ebook together, Michael Dlouhy & I had quite a bit of discussion about what the cover would be. I had seen many dozens of successful ebooks, and I had an idea of the general look for the cover … but not specific.

Then Michael emailed me the photo. It’s Michael in his trademark Hawaiian shirt, his arm around Linda, the 2 of them sitting oceanside on the Gulf of Mexico as the sun goes down. Inserted in the lower left-hand corner is another photo of the 2 of them walking down the beach, and you can see their footsteps in the sand.

I saw it and thought, “Holy mackeral! I have NEVER seen any ebook with a cover like this!” This cover sent the perfect message: MLM is a relationship business. Anyway, as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one we wanted.

And now, 4 years later, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve mentioned “Success In 10 Steps” to a prospect who says, “Gosh. I have so many ebooks. I don’t remember that one.” And so I say, “Well, it’s got the guy & his wife sitting in front of the ocean at sunset.” And the prospect says (every time), “Oh, THAT one. Sure I remember THAT one.”

The cover of “Success In 10 Steps” is one of the bits of magic that makes the book so powerful.

I appreciate you!

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Truths

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You’ll Never Get Rich Selling An MLM Opportunity

In today’s market, you cannot build a long-term successful MLM business by selling the opportunity. Even if you are a superstar salesperson, the fact is … over 90% of everyone else is not. They hate sales. And they will not be able to sell the opportunity, no matter how much sales training and “RAH! RAH!” courses you may give them. so they will disappear.

“Success In 10 Steps” solves that problem. When you advertise the ebook, your target “frustrated MLMers” market will download it. Many will see themselves and their own story in the book, and they will want to talk about it.

It’s easy to build relationships with the people who identify with this book. No selling necessary. As you build relationships, you build your network. Bring value into their lives, and some of them will want to work with you. Then just tell them their options & let them decide.

No sales necessary.

I appreciate you!

Richard Dennis
850-997-1241

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Will Michael Dlouhy’s System Work a Year From Now?

Everything changes. Who knows if the “Success In 10 Steps” prospect recruiting system will work a year from now?

But what I do know is … it worked 4 years ago, when we first offered it.

• And 3 years ago.
• And 2 years ago.
• And last year.

And it sure works now.

Absolutely, things will change. Unfortunately, neither you nor I know for sure exactly WHAT will change. When you’re looking for a productive MLM lead generation system, your best bet is to look at what has worked well in the past, and decide what principles are important to you in a leads system.

Personally, I think a system that targets “frustrated MLMers” has a good chance to be eternal. Having been in this business for over 30 years, I can’t imagine a world where there aren’t a ton of frustrated MLMers looking for a solution to their problems. And trust me, that is one VERY hot market.

Plus, of course, it is the exact market targeted by “Success In 10 Steps.”

For sure, there are other network marketing principles that are eternal, that could be used as the basis for choosing a lead generation system. I’d love some help with my marketing … what network marketing principle or idea is the MOST real to you? Please leave a comment below.

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Secrets

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Your REAL MLM Goal

My 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Mohr, used to tell me - often - “You put the accent on the wrong syl-LAH!-ble.” I did that a lot in science. It wasn’t my favorite subject.

But network marketers also often put the accent on the wrong syl-LAH!-ble. Let’s be brutally honest. Your purpose in MLM is to make money. Your purpose is NOT:

• to save the world
• to sell the best product on the planet
• to bring peace and love to all of mankind

These thoughts only get in the way of your real goal. For your MLM business to survive, you must make a profit. To make a profit, you must have a steady stream of targeted leads. The bottom line for your network marketing success is, THAT matters more than anything else.

If you can generate strong, targeted MLM leads for you and your team, you have a real chance at success. If not, you have no shot.

I’d love to hear the results YOU have had with “Success In 10 Steps”, or with any other MLM leads system. Please leave a comment on this post.

I appreciate you!

Richard Dennis
Big MLM Lies

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